Scottish Executive

Aggregates

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any underspend in 2002-03 in respect of the aggregates levy community environmental renewal grants will be rolled forward and added to the 2003-04 budget.

Ross Finnie: The Grants Panel allocated £922,000 for community environmental renewal grants to 38 projects. We believe that there is demand for the grant scheme and that there are good projects which can come forward. Were there to be any carry forward, then its use would be a matter for the incoming administration after the election.

Aggregates

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its decision not to allocate aggregates levy proceeds on a geographical basis or in proportion to the amount raised by the levy in a particular area.

Ross Finnie: Part of the proceeds of the aggregates levy is available to support communities affected by aggregates extraction through community environmental renewal grants. Grants are available to projects which address the environmental effects of past or present aggregates extraction, involve the local community and have demonstrable social and/or economic benefit to the local community. It is open to any community affected by aggregates extraction to devise a project in accordance with the criteria.

  Grants were allocated according to merit by a Grants Panel, rather than on a geographical basis or in proportion to the amount raised by the levy in a particular area. The panel included representatives from COSLA, community councils, the aggregates industry, Scottish Natural Heritage and Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

  Any geographical or pro rata allocation of the proceeds of the levy would to some extent be arbitrary. For example, basing allocations on the current proceeds of the levy would disadvantage those areas that are affected by former extraction sites no longer in production. For that reason, we believe that a single national scheme to which all communities have equal access is the best approach.

  Further grants will be available in 2003-04. I will be looking to Forward Scotland, who will administer the 2003-04 scheme, to promote the scheme to communities which have not benefited from grants this year.

Agriculture and Fisheries Council

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report on the outcome of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 20 and 21 February 2003.

Ross Finnie: I attended the one-day Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on 20 February 2003, together with Lord Whitty and Mike German.

  There were no fisheries items on the agenda on this occasion.

  On agriculture, a 10-year extension of the feed additive avilamycin was agreed by qualified majority, the UK supporting the proposal.

  The Commission outlined its timetable and plans for GM seeds, co-existence between GM and non-GM agriculture and GM authorisations. On the last of these, the UK supported the Commission’s preference for a case-by-case approach under existing GM legislation. On co-existence, the Commission plans to adopt a communication on 5 March 2003 to inform later debate.

  A Commission proposal for consolidating and updating the current EU rules on official food and animal feed controls was also presented. There was no substantive discussion and the Council remitted the dossier for technical discussion.

  The Commission reported on recent developments on agriculture in the World Trade Organization (WTO), in particular, on ministerial discussion in Tokyo which had focussed on the first draft of the "modalities" paper prepared by the Chairman of the WTO Agriculture Negotiating Group. Commissioner Fischler criticised the draft as unbalanced but stressed that the EU would continue to negotiate with trading partners on the basis of the EU proposal submitted in January 2003. The UK endorsed this line while noting that agreement on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Reform would be the key to development of the EU position.

  The Presidency gave a brief report of official level work on the CAP Reform proposals published in January. There was no discussion. A full Council discussion is planned for the March meeting.

  Under other business, the Italians signalled their intention to seek approval of a state aid to farmers in serious financial difficulty following the bankruptcy of certain agricultural co-operatives, and Greece reported that extreme weather conditions had caused widespread damage to its farming industry in recent days.

Ambulance Service

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) target and (b) actual response times have been for ambulance services in the Clydesdale area of the Lanarkshire NHS Board area in each of the last four years and how these figures compared with the national average.

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance call outs connected with coronary heart disease there were in the Clydesdale area of the Lanarkshire NHS Board area in each of the last four years; how many of these call outs met the board’s target response times, and how these figures compared with the national average.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information disaggregated below NHS board area is not readily available. The General Manager of the service’s West Central Division has advised me that he would be happy to meet with you to discuss ambulance response times in this area, together with the service’s plans for future developments. I have asked him to contact you to offer such a meeting.

Carers

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are being made to give better consideration to the accessibility to carers of employment initiatives and strategies.

Iain Gray: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government through the Department for Work and Pensions, and Jobcentre Plus.

Dentistry

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support is available to dental practices that seek the services of foreign-qualified dentists and need to support them through their pre-registration training prior to acceptance by the General Dental Council allowing them to practice; how many dental practices have (a) sought and (b) received such support in each of the last three years, and what sums were (i) sought and (ii) received.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are no schemes directly designed to facilitate foreign-qualified dentists entering dental practice in Scotland.

  Vocational training is available to both Scottish and EC graduates on a competitive basis for which appropriate funding and support is given to the dentist and their trainee.

Dentistry

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support is available to NHS boards to attract foreign dental practitioners to any dental vacancies and whether such support includes subsistence payments for such practitioners awaiting formal registration with the General Dental Council.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards are able to use their normal financial allocations to advertise for and attract dentists to their region, including from overseas. As dentists working in the UK must be registered by the General Dental Council, it would not be appropriate to provide subsistence payments pending registration.

Dentistry

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists will retire in each of the next five years; how many dental practices have given notice of closure, and whether it will provide information on dental practitioner shortages, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The actual number of NHS general dental practitioners who intend to retire in the next five years is not available centrally. The following table shows the number of NHS general dental practitioners who will be aged 65 in this period.

  Number of NHS General Dental Practitioners Aged 65 on or Before Year to 31 March

  


Health Board 
  

2004 
  

2005 
  

2006 
  

2007 
  

2008 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Borders 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  

1 
  



Fife 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

1 
  

2 
  

2 
  

3 
  

2 
  



Highland 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

1 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

1 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  

3 
  



Grampian 
  

0 
  

1 
  

1 
  

2 
  

5 
  



Orkney 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Lothian 
  

1 
  

1 
  

0 
  

2 
  

4 
  



Tayside 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

3 
  

1 
  



Forth Valley 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

2 
  

0 
  



Western Isles 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Shetland 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Scotland 
  

5 
  

6 
  

8 
  

14 
  

18 
  



  Source:

  MIDAS (Management Information and Dental Accounting System).

  The number of dental practices who have given notice of closure and information on dental practitioner shortages are not available centrally.

Education

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) average and (b) target times are between full inspections of (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools.

Nicol Stephen: I have asked Graham Donaldson, Chief Executive of HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), to respond. His response is as follows:

  HMIE is working towards the generational cycle whereby a primary school will be inspected once every seven years and a secondary school will be inspected once every six years. We are aiming to complete the delivery of the first generational cycle by 2008 for secondary schools and 2009 for primary schools. To ensure delivery of this target, we are giving priority to schools which have yet to be inspected. For those primary schools which have been inspected twice, the average time between inspections has been 14 years. For those secondary schools which have been inspected at least twice, the average time between inspections has been nine and a half years.

Environment

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what environmental monitoring has been carried out subsequent to the recent test firings of depleted uranium shells at Dundrennan range in Kirkcudbrightshire.

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether monitoring of the environmental effect of test firings of depleted uranium shells at Dundrennan in Kirkcudbrightshire should be carried out by an organisation not contracted by the Ministry of Defence.

Ross Finnie: The Radioactive Substances Act 1993 (RSA 93) provides the legal basis for environmental monitoring and, in Scotland, this is the responsibility of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has Crown exemption from RSA 93, and so monitoring is a matter for, and is undertaken by, MoD and its contractors, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL). I understand that details of the environmental monitoring programme are available from DSTL.

  In response to these recent test firings, the Scottish Executive has asked SEPA to satisfy itself that an appropriate level of environmental monitoring is in place, and to continue its normal liaison with MoD on this matter. We have also written to the Secretary of State for Defence asking that SEPA be provided with all the relevant information it needs.

General Practitioners

Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to provide GP care for the island of Coll if the present GP locum contract ends in April 2003, given the absence of a GP on the island from 15 to 22 February 2003 and the recent retirement of one of the locum GPs.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive Health Department has put in place a package of measures to support the recruitment and retention of GPs in remote and rural areas. The provision of NHS services on the island of Coll is a matter for NHS Argyll and Clyde.

General Practitioners

Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to provide a permanent GP on the island of Coll, given the length of time that the post has been vacant.

Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Argyll and Clyde has responsibility for the provision of NHS services on the island of Coll. The Scottish Executive Health Department has provided a package of measures to support the recruitment and retention of GPs in remote and rural areas.

Health

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were admitted to hospital with chronic obstructive airways disease in each year since 1999.

Malcolm Chisholm: The available data on the number of patients admitted to hospital with chronic obstructive airways disease is contained in the following table:

  

 

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



Number of Patients1


22,180 
  

21,174 
  

21,090 
  



  Notes:

  1. Chronic obstructive airways disease is defined using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), tenth revision J40-J44 (includes the following diagnoses: chronic bronchitis, emphysema and "other chronic pulmonary disease").

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many adverse reactions to vitamin and mineral supplements have been reported in each of the last 10 years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The regulation and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA).

  The MCA/Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) Yellow Card Scheme collates reports of suspected adverse reactions to medicines. The Yellow Card Scheme provides for voluntary reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions by general practitioners, hospital doctors, dentists, coroners, pharmacists and nurses. The MCA receives approximately 18,000 reports of suspected adverse reactions to medicines each year via the scheme. As the scheme is voluntary, not all adverse reactions are reported. The MCA also collates reports of suspected adverse reactions to vitamins and minerals.

  The following table provides a breakdown of the number of reports of suspected reactions received through the Yellow Card Scheme in association with vitamin and minerals over the last 10 complete years.

  


 Year 
  

Number of Reports 
  



1993 
  

86 
  



1994 
  

108 
  



1995 
  

147 
  



1996 
  

106 
  



1997 
  

106 
  



1998 
  

129 
  



1999 
  

159 
  



2000 
  

129 
  



2001 
  

90 
  



2002 
  

47 
  



  It is important to remember that a report of a suspected reaction does not necessarily mean that the vitamin or mineral caused it.

  Vitamin and mineral products are often supplied without prescription, and are often taken without advice from doctors or pharmacists. It is generally recognised that the reporting rate for medicines supplied over the counter (OTC) is lower than that of suspected adverse reactions associated with prescription medicines. To encourage reporting of suspected adverse reactions with OTC medicines, the Yellow Card Scheme was recently extended to include nurses as reporters, and will be extended to include patient reporting via NHS Direct in the near future.

Health

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS board areas offer first aid as part of the antenatal programme.

Malcolm Chisholm: The content of antenatal programmes in Scotland varies across NHS boards and the Executive does not hold information on whether first aid is a part of these. The Health Education Board for Scotland is undertaking a mapping exercise of current antenatal activity.

Health Promotion

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are being made to prioritise carers’ health in public health promotion strategies over the next parliamentary session.

Malcolm Chisholm: National and local health promotion activities and initiatives aim to improve the health of everyone in the community. Programmes cover a wide range of topics including diet, exercise, smoking cessation, oral health, mental health and well-being. Services provided by NHS Board Health Promotion Units may benefit carers themselves directly or indirectly through provision of services for the cared for person.

  Health promotion is the responsibility of NHS boards who should be approached directly for information about their plans and strategies for carers’ health.

Hospitals

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when work will begin on the Midlothian Community Hospital.

Malcolm Chisholm: Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust expects work to begin on site in July 2004, with construction over a 19-month period.

Justice

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the Daubert judgement which currently governs the admissibility of expert testimony in courts in the United States of America and, in particular, the implications of the judgement with regard to the present means, technique and quality of similar evidence offered in Scottish courts, with particular reference to fingerprint evidence brought forward by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in criminal cases in the last five years from experts working in the Scottish Criminal Records Office.

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the judgement in the case considered in the Supreme Court of the United States of America, Kumho Tire Co v Carmichael (US 137 1999); whether it agrees that a court’s "gatekeeping" function in respect of the reliability of expert evidence applies to all expert evidence, whether or not it is given by scientists, and, if so, what steps it is taking to ensure that such a function is exercised in the same way in Scotland.

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the recent amendment to the Federal Rule of Evidence No 702 as adopted by the United States Congress which took effect on 1 December 2000 for courts in the United States of America and, in particular, the provision in this rule that states "if scientific, technical, or other specialised knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise, if (1) the testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data, (2) the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods, and (3) the witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case"; whether it will assess the present rules of expert evidence in Scotland against these criteria; whether the Scottish rules fall short of this standard and, if so, in what ways, and whether it will bring forward proposals to improve rules of evidence based upon this standard.

Mr Jim Wallace: We have considered the recent developments in the law of expert evidence in the United States of America, including the judgements in the Daubert and Kumho Tire Co cases and the Federal Rule of Evidence No 702. The rules of evidence in Scotland in relation to skilled witnesses are comparable in many respects, but we do not consider that they have any implications for the use of expert evidence, including fingerprint evidence, in Scotland.

  We have, however, set out proposals for the greater use of expert evidence in some types of case. These are contained in Vital Voices, Helping Vulnerable Witnesses Give Evidence: Policy Statement, paragraph 2.31, published by the Scottish Executive on 27 February 2003. Copies are available from the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 26600).

Lifelong Learning

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to integrate carers’ needs into education and lifelong learning strategies.

Iain Gray: The Executive’s recently published strategy Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life has a key goal of ensuring that everyone has the chance to learn, irrespective of their personal circumstances. Our policy on widening access to further education aims to break down barriers faced by all groups including carers. Our aim is to ensure that social prejudice plays no part in who gets to benefit from further education. We have delegated to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC) the duty to secure adequate and efficient provision of further education in Scotland. We expect SFEFC to allocate budgets to individual colleges, and offer other support and guidance, in a way that takes account of that duty. Community Learning and Development Partnerships, including of course voluntary sector organisations, also play a crucial role in widening access into learning.

Medical Research

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33345 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 January 2003, what research training fellowships it is funding and where each such fellowship is.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Scientist Office, within the Scottish Executive Health Department, is funding 15 Research Training Fellowships, two of which are jointly funded by the Medical Research Council. The fellowships are based in the following locations:

  Aberdeen University (3), Edinburgh University (2), Dundee University (3), Glasgow University (2), Western General Hospital, Edinburgh (2), Royal Victoria Hospital, Edinburgh (1), Napier University, Edinburgh (1) and Abertay University, Dundee (1).

Medical Research

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33345 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 January 2003, what research units it is funding.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Chief Scientist Office within the Scottish Executive Health Department is currently funding seven research units, two of which are jointly funded with the Medical Research Council, namely:

  Dental Health Services Research Unit, University of Dundee

  Health Economics Research Unit, University of Aberdeen

  Health Services Research Unit, University of Aberdeen

  MRC Institute of Hearing Research, Glasgow Royal Infirmary

  Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland, Glasgow Caledonian and Stirling Universities

  Research Unit in Health, Behaviour and Change, University of Edinburgh

  MRC Social and Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow.

Medical Research

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33345 by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 January 2003, how much core funding it has given to the research initiatives funded jointly by it and the Medical Research Council.

Malcolm Chisholm: In 2002-03, the Chief Scientist Office, within the Scottish Executive Health Department, will contribute £255,764 towards the core funding of the Scottish Section of the Institute of Hearing Research and £326,222 towards the core funding of the Scottish Section of the Social and Public Health Sciences Unit.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that all multiple sclerosis patients are assessed at the earliest possible stage to identify whether they would benefit from beta interferon treatment.

Malcolm Chisholm: Only certain patients with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis are likely to benefit from beta interferon treatment and patients’ eligibility for this treatment depends on the clinical judgement of the specialist concerned. Health Department Letter (HDL) (2002) 6, which introduced the risk-sharing scheme for the supply of disease modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis on the NHS, explains the arrangements NHS boards are required to make to implement the scheme locally. This includes the arrangements necessary to enable eligible patients in their area to receive beta interferon treatment. The Executive expects the NHS boards to implement the scheme.

  Data collected under the risk-sharing scheme is maintained by the scheme co-ordinator Sheffield University’s School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR). We have requested access to the data collected by ScHARR, on an anonymised basis, which will identify to us the rate of implementation in Scotland.

  Our discussion with ScHARR has not identified that there are any difficulties particular to Scotland. The Director of ScHARR has visited the Scottish specialist centres and he has indicated that progress in Scotland was satisfactory in all areas.

NHS Pay

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for the implementation of Agenda for Change in Scotland; to which staff groups it will apply, and what its implications are for qualified maintenance craftspersons and maintenance technicians employed in the National Health Service.

Malcolm Chisholm: Currently NHS professional organisations and trade unions are consulting their members on the Agenda for Change proposals. If agreed, Agenda for Change will be implemented in Scotland in October 2004.

  Agenda for Change will apply to all directly employed NHS staff within the NHS with the exception of doctors and dentists and the most senior managers.

  The new pay system will offer all staff, including qualified maintenance craftspersons and maintenance technicians, employed in the NHS, fairer pay, harmonised conditions of service and better links between career and pay progression.

NHS Services

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 350 NHS one-stop clinics are located in the Midlothian Council area; where such clinics are located, and what services they offer.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information on one-stop clinics operated by NHSScotland is not available in the form requested.

  There are 40 one-stop clinics in Lothian where patients receive consultation, diagnostic tests, results and, if appropriate, treatment, all in a single visit. Details of these are given in the following table.

  One-Stop Clinics* Operated by NHS Lothian

  


Service 
  

NHS Trust 
  



Dental Clinic 
  

Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust 
  



Medical Gynaecology Clinic 
  

Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust 
  



Menopause Clinic 
  

Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust 
  



Needle Exchange Clinic 
  

Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust 
  



Breast Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Cardiology (x2) 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Cataract Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Centre for Liver and Digestive Disorders 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Child Abuse Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Children's' Services – Electroencephalography Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Colposcopy Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Diabetes 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Emergency Out-patient Clinic - Acute Medicine 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Endocrine (Investigation of Thyroid Disease) 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Endoscopy/Gastroenterology 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Eyelid Cysts Treatment Centre 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Gynaecology Assessment 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



HIV (Children) 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



HIV Testing – Genito-Urinary Medicine 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



HIV/HGPB/HGPC Testing 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



ID Travel Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Medical Assessment (DVT Open Access) 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Menstrual Problem Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Neuro-Oncology Follow-Up Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Neurovascular Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Ophthalmology – Fast-Track Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Ophthalmology - New Patient Low Visual Aid 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Orthoptic (Children) 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Pregnancy Support Centre 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Rapid Access Chest Pain (x2) 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Rapid Access Pigmented Lesion Clinic - Dermatology 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Respiratory 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Respiratory Function 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Tuberculosis and Contact Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Termination Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Tumour Clinic – Dermatology 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



Urology/Ultrasound Testicular Lump Clinic 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



YAG Laser Treatment Centre 
  

Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust 
  



  Note:

  * As at July 2002.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33538 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 February 2003, in how many cases a serious assault has occurred in HM Prison Kilmarnock but no performance points have accrued to the prison operators, showing for each such case whether (a) no charges were brought in relation to the assault, (b) charges were dropped by the prosecution or (c) no conviction was obtained despite prosecution.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Performance points have not been applied in 13 such cases referred to the police because, so far as can be ascertained, there were no court proceedings and consequently no convictions. A trial is under way in one case and investigations are on-going in another 11 cases. It is not possible to say why there were no proceedings in the 13 cases, for the reasons given in the answer to question S1W-33537 on 11 February 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search..

Public Transport

Angus MacKay (Edinburgh South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in developing an effective, modern, 21st century public transport system for Edinburgh.

Iain Gray: We have already part-funded the work of the City of Edinburgh Council in developing its Integrated Transport Initiative and committed £15 million for the development work on three tram-lines. We are now able to guarantee the availability of £375 million of central Government funding which the preliminary business case for the Integrated Transport Initiative requires.

  Our commitment ensures that funding for at least the first tram-line will be available as soon as the council produces a robust final business case. That support is not conditional on the introduction of congestion charging, which the council is considering in order to reduce traffic levels in and around the city.

Rail Network

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much public subsidy the rail infrastructure operator received for Scotland in 2001-02.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is not held centrally.

Schools

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has issued to local authorities on the use of community consultations on school closures and mergers.

Nicol Stephen: In such cases, there is a statutory requirement on education authorities to consult parents of pupils and school boards of the schools affected, and relevant church or denominational bodies.

  The Scottish Office issued advice when the relevant regulations were made, drawing education authorities’ attention to them.

Scots Language

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33444 by Mike Watson on 5 February 2003, which specific policies and practice give due regard to the objectives and principles in Part II of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in respect of the Scots language.

Mike Watson: The Scottish Executive considers the Scots language to be an important part of Scotland’s distinctive linguistic and cultural heritage. The implementation of many of the objectives and principles in Part II of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages are for other public bodies and institutions. The Scottish Executive would expect that due recognition would be given to these objectives and principles at these levels.

Sport

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any current plans to host major sporting events include women-only events and events for both men and women

Mike Watson: Not at this time, but EventScotland, once it is established, will consider whether to support or bid for any women only major sporting events or events in which both men and women participate.

Waste Management

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what land restoration sites are currently using sewage and, in respect of each such site, where the sewage is sourced and what monitoring of the (a) local environment and (b) health of the local population is carried out.

Ross Finnie: Information on the location of sewage sludge spreading activities is not held centrally. The spreading of sewage sludge on non-agricultural land can be carried out subject to conditions set out in the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. The activity is regulated by Scottish Environment Protection Agency, which will ensure that it is within the conditions.

  Responsibility for the protection of the health of local populations rests jointly with the local NHS board and the local authority. Action in respect of local health threats, including consideration of the need to extend the normal provision for monitoring and reporting the local incidence of disease, is a matter of decision for these bodies.

Waste Management

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what precautionary measures are in place to avoid (a) water and (b) aerosol contamination at land restoration sites using sewage.

Ross Finnie: The spreading of sewage sludge on non-agricultural land can be carried out subject to conditions set out in the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994, in order to ensure that the environment is protected. The activity is regulated by Scottish Environment Protection Agency, which will ensure that it is within the conditions.

Waste Management

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what precautionary measures are in place to protect workers employed at land restoration sites using sewage and, in particular, what monitoring of the health of such workers is carried out.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to health and safety at work. The UK Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executive are responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety arising from work activity in Britain.

Water Charges

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is its intended policy that care homes will pay water charges that are five times greater than the charges paid by their counterparts in England and Wales following the Court of Session decision in the case of Scottish Water v Clydecare Ltd .

Ross Finnie: I am not in a position to comment on the detail of charges to individual customers of Scottish Water. The Executive’s policy on water charges is that the revenue raised under a charges scheme for a particular year should not exceed the revenue cap specified by the Water Industry Commissioner for that year in his Strategic Review of Charges; that by no later than 2005-06 charges within a scheme should be harmonised on a geographical basis across Scotland, and that tariffs within schemes should be broadly cost-reflective. A series of discounts and reliefs are available to customers in specific circumstances. These are not specific to care homes.

  I am unable to comment on the charges paid by an individual customer of Scottish Water. This is a matter for Scottish Water and the Water Industry Commissioner who are jointly responsible for agreeing the scheme of charges in any particular year.

Water Fluoridation

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any potential harm to breast-fed babies if their mothers drink large quantities of fluoridated water.

Malcolm Chisholm: There is no evidence of any potential harm to mothers who breast-feed babies after consuming fluoridated water.

Water Fluoridation

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any studies have been concluded into the harmful effects of fluoride accumulation in the body.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30193 on 16 October 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search ..